


The Fights Before Christmas

by CosmicTanzanite



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: "Not Evil Just Misunderstood", Christmas, Holidays, M/M, Rivalry, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:30:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21930019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicTanzanite/pseuds/CosmicTanzanite
Summary: After finally getting some time off of work, Fenton is excited to spend the few days before Christmas helping his M'ma prepare for the holidays. However, that excitement is cut short when he's called to stop a few mysterious and rather time-consuming robberies caused by a masked villain who he's never met before.
Relationships: Black Arts Beagle/Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	The Fights Before Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a secret santa gift to my good friend, Mick! He was one of the first people I talked to in the DuckTales fandom and getting to know him over the years has been a wonderful experience. I'm so honored to have such an awesome and talented friend! This was an absolute joy to write and made me realize that Black Arts is super fun and definitely someone I want to do more with in the future. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy and have the happiest of holidays!

Sucking in a deep breath, Fenton slowly placed his foot on the topmost step of the ladder. One would think that fighting crime on a daily basis would cause him to become immune to everyday fears such as heights. However, being several feet up a ladder and attempting to put Christmas lights on the highest peak of his house was always a little daunting and never got much better as the years passed. Holding up the strand of multicolor bulbs, Fenton kept his feet planted firmly on the ladder’s top step and tried his best not to slip as he fastened them onto the hooks there.

“Doing alright up there, pollito?” a voice called from below. 

Knowing he’d get even more jittery if he dared to look down, Fenton focused his attention on stringing the lights as he replied. “I’m fine, M’ma!”

“Be careful!”

“I will! Don’t worry,” he laughed, trying his best to abide by her wishes.

Normally, they would have put the lights up a lot earlier than four days before Christmas, but now that Fenton had a job that kept him occupied at nearly every hour of the day, finding time for decorating wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped. M’ma did all she could by herself, but she was busy with her job too, and Fenton didn’t want her to overwork herself. Luckily, Mr. McDuck had given him a few days off for the holidays, so he could finally help with such activities. Fenton was relieved to at least have those days to prepare, especially since his extended family would be coming over on Christmas Eve. Sure, it was a little late to be putting up almost all of their decorations, but better late than never!

Without work, all he had to worry about was getting called for Gizmoduck duty, but Fenton wasn’t expecting much of that. M’ma had told him nobody wanted to bother starting crime during the holidays because even most criminals were home with their families. Going over the long mental list of activities he still had to get done before the 25th of December, Fenton could only hope she was right.

Trying his best to shove thoughts of work and stress and hero duty out of his head, he continued to run the string of lights along the roof’s edge. When he finally reached the one that would be showcased on the highest point, a bright purple bulb, Fenton took a moment to collect himself before making the risky move he knew was needed. As he did so, M’ma called to him once more.

“Are you sure you’re okay up there? You’re faltering!”

Gulping and almost unaware of how flimsy his position was, Fenton bit the end of his bill and tried his hardest to focus on the lights. “I’m gonna be okay, M’ma! I just gotta get in the zone.”

Fenton could feel her dubious stare scorching him even though he refused to look down to confirm it. Eager to prove himself, he slowly leaned upward and stretched out his arms toward the clip meant to hold the strand of lights. Making sure to focus his stare entirely on what he was doing, the duck shut out everything else in the world except for himself and the Christmas light. He lowered the strand above the hook and slowly brought it down, eyeing it to guarantee it was even. Fenton almost had it secured when a sudden loud noise coming from the pocket of his jacket startled him, causing him to jump and lose his balance. 

Yelping and trying hard to keep balanced to no avail, he tried to keep the ladder sturdy against the house but lost his footing in the process, tumbling down and thankfully into the arms of M’ma. Once he’d calmed down from the shock, he cracked open his eyes and met her knowing gaze that had “I told you so” written all over it before hopping out of her arms and brushing his jacket off.

“Sorry, M’ma.”

“It’s fine,” she said, rolling her eyes playfully. “I knew you were gonna fall.”

Before he could reply, the brash noise sounded again. He grabbed for his phone and pulled it out, instantly noticing the flashing red on his screen. It was an app Gyro had created that synched up to the crime reports, so Gizmoduck would know when he was needed even if he wasn’t on duty. Frowning, Fenton studied his phone, wondering if it was some kind of joke.

“What does that mean?” M’ma asked, looking over his shoulder.

Fenton read off the blinking message. “Gyro’s app is telling me Gizmoduck is needed downtown for a robbery at Peter Presto’s Magic Shop.” 

“Huh? Someone wants to rob the magic shop?” She laughed. “That’s more business than Presto’s gotten in weeks, years maybe.”

“You’re right. Something’s up. Maybe the app’s got a bug,” Fenton suggested. “I should call Gyro.”

M’ma nodded in agreement until the sound of approaching sirens filled their ears, and Fenton saw a pair of police cars turning the corner, headed toward downtown. He sighed, accepting his unfortunate fate.

“Blathering blatherskite, looks like some people want to start crime on Christmas after all,” he muttered in frustration. “I should- AH!”

Fenton remembered a little too soon that he had a bad habit of muttering the Gizmoduck suit’s password before he was actually ready to suit up. Once the armor was secured around his body, he looked down at M’ma with a frown, then to the half-decorated house.

“I’m sorry I can’t stay to finish the house.”

“That’s okay,” M’ma reassured him. “I’m better at putting the lights on the roof than you are anyway.” She patted his arm as she walked over toward the ladder.

“Can you at least save the deer for me? I’ll try to make it quick!”

“Of course, pollito. Now run along before someone else finds out your secret identity.”

Giving one last salute and a nod, Gizmoduck rocketed into the sky and headed toward Peter Presto’s. He was not eager to be fighting crime a few days before Christmas but kept his promise to M’ma to keep this as quick as possible in mind, letting it guide him until he found his way in front of the crime scene. As soon as he barged in, Gizmoduck saw the owner of the shop, Peter Presto, cowering behind his desk. 

“Gizmoduck!” the poodle cried, voice dripping with relief. “You’re here!” 

“Did the robber get away?” Gizmoduck asked, looking around but unable to see anyone else in the dimly lit magic shop.

“Shhhhhh,” Peter hushed him, curling into a ball. “He could be anywhere!”

“Anywhere? Wh-” Gizmoduck was cut off when a small object hit his helmet with a clatter. Catching it in his hand before it reached the floor, he held it up to his visor and looked it over. It appeared to be some kind of...suction cup? Why were suction cups falling from the sky? As if to answer his question, before he could even acknowledge the object in his hand, something much larger fell on top of him.

Shocked by the sudden contact, Gizmoduck lept backward and tossed whatever it was off him before he realized it was a body. He watched as the stranger struggled to get up from the floor, unsticking suction cups like the one that had fallen on Gizmoduck from the bottom of his black platform boots and hastily thrusting them into his pocket. Then, he leapt up and faced the superhero. He was a tall fellow, Gizmoduck noted, and seemed to really enjoy the color black, for most of his outfit was that color save for a long purple cape that covered any features of his face save for two, piercing eyes. If Gizmoduck hadn’t just seen him fall from the ceiling, he might have been slightly intimidated.

“And you are?”

The hooded stranger laughed, and Gizmoduck could feel his smirk graze him. “Only the most terrible, the most horrific, the strongest and most powerful dark magician in all of the universe!”

He paused, as the duck frowned, racking his brain for an answer. “Well, you don’t look like Magica De Spell...”

“Ugh! I don’t have time for this.” The stranger began to move around Gizmoduck rather rapidly, and he tried his best to keep up with him. “The name’s Nik Nokturne,” he spoke, voice deep and husky. “I’ve been watching your every move since you arrived, Gizmoduck. I was using my elusive invisibility-slash-teleportation powers to scope you out.”

Gizmoduck frowned. “I literally saw the suction cups.”

“No you didn’t!” he snapped, getting a little too close to Gizmoduck’s face for comfort. Then, he pulled back, momentarily revealing a book he was hiding underneath his cape. “Once I steal this mythical book of spells to aide me on my quest to master the darkest of magics known to mankind, the entire universe will fear the name Nik Nokturne!”

After looking the book over, Gizmoduck raised an eyebrow as he read the title out loud. “Mastering the Dark Arts for Dummies…?”

Obviously stumped on what to say, Nik Nokturne thrust the book back underneath his cape and held up his fists. “That doesn’t matter! What does matter is that I’m going to conquer you with my bewildering mixture of dark magic and- AUGH!”

Nik Nokturne’s monologue was cut off abruptly as a banana cream pie fired directly at his face, causing him to lose his balance and drop the book. It gave Gizmoduck just enough time to grab the object he was trying to steal, watching as the magician wannabe struggled to wipe the remains of pie crust and whipped cream out of his outfit.

“Not fair! I just got this thing washed like last week.”

In case the robber wanted to fight back, Gizmoduck readied himself to continue brawling. He exposed some of his more dangerous gizmos, such as the sawblades that protruded from his shoulders and his chest rocket. Luckily, Nik Nokturne got the memo.

“I uhhhh...you haven’t seen the last of meeee!” 

Before Gizmoduck could grab the criminal, a sudden bomb of purple, glittery smoke blinded him, and he coughed, wafting it away so he could see again. Once his vision was no longer clouded, he realized that Nik Nokturne had fled. That could have gone a lot better, he thought to himself, but at least he got the book, which he now gently handed to Peter Presto, watching as the poodle clambered to his feet at last and held it close as if Gizmoduck had saved his firstborn child.

“My precious book! Ah, thank you so much, Gizmoduck!” The eager magician suddenly wrapped his arms around the armored duck, pulling him into a hug. “How can I ever repay you?”

Keeping a mental note of the time, he did his best to shove Presto off. “That won’t be necessary, kind citizen. Just know that your safety and wellbeing is all the reward I will ever-”

“Oh, but there must be something!” The poodle began to hastily shift through the millions of doo-dads and nick-nacks on top of his desk. “Would you like a plush rabbit? Magic top hat? Perhaps even a wand? All on me!”

Gizmoduck grit his teeth. “I mean it when I say that you don’t have to-”

“What about this magical rainbow infinity scarf?” Presto began to rapidly pull a multicolored scarf out of a nearby hat. “It goes on for ages!”

Holding his hands up, Gizmoduck backed away toward the door. “Please understand that-”

He was cut off by the sound of the door opening and turned around to see a crowd of police officers, reporters and citizens standing in the doorway. 

“Gizmoduck!”

“Did you catch him?”

“Can you give us a run-down of what happened?”

“Sign my forehead!”

Gizmoduck sighed. This was going to take a lot longer than anticipated…

\---

Fenton wiped a strand of sweat from his brow as he finished staking the last grapevine deer to the ground. The whole outside of the house was completely decorated. It had taken him even longer than he’d hoped, seeing that he didn’t get back from his Gizmoduck mission yesterday until it was very late and M’ma was already in bed. However, it was finally done.

Taking a step back, he gave a thumbs-up to M’ma, who stood next to the extension cord that would eventually light the entire Cabrera yard up. She then did the honors, plugging it into the socket and walking back as the house came to life with different colors. A smile spread across her face, and she put an arm around Fenton.

“It’s beautiful,” she sighed.

“Sure is,” Fenton replied, and the two stood there in bliss, watching the payoff for their hard work. Then, he clapped his hands. “Now to do the inside of the house!”

M’ma frowned. “Augh. I almost forgot.”

“Don’t worry,” Fenton said with a grin. “I’m sure we can get it up in no time.”

She raised an eyebrow in suspicion but knew better than to question Fenton when he was in an overly determined mood. The two retired to their house, and M’ma pulled the rather large Christmas tree box out of the closet. It only took about half an hour for them to sort all the parts out, and then they got to work at putting it together. Once it was assembled, Fenton walked back into the closet and came back holding a box full of ornaments, the top barely held together with duct tape, and gently placed it down on the floor in front of the tree.

“Ready for the fun part?” he asked M’ma, as she smiled and squeezed his shoulder.

“As long as you don’t electrocute yourself again.”

Fenton gasped, offended. “It was one time!”

“Oh, it was more than once.”

Knowing he couldn’t refute that, Fenton blushed in embarrassment. He ripped open the box and thrust his hand inside, pulling out a bright red glass ornament. Then, as if on cue, the alarm on his phone sounded. Fenton dropped the ornament in shock, watching in horror as it fell to the floor and shattered.

“No!” he gasped, wincing at the sight in front of him.

She got to her feet and shook her head. “It’s okay, Fenton. This happens every year. I’ll go get the dust pan.”

As M’ma walked away, Fenton tended to his phone. He hoped it was merely a telemarketer call or a text from Gyro, Launchpad or even Gandra, but of course, it was the Gizmoduck alert app. Bright red letters flashed across his screen, reading that there was a robbery at the bakery a few blocks down. Fenton groaned and buried his face in his hands. Not again…

“What’s wrong, pollito?” M’ma appeared with a dust pan in her hand, giving her son a concerned glance.

“Robbery at the bakery,” he grumbled, shoving his phone back inside his jacket pocket. “Looks like I’ll be out again tonight.”

M’ma shook her head. “I see. Well, don’t worry. I understand.”

Fenton knew she did, but guilt still pricked at his insides. “But the tree!”

“You really think I can’t handle putting the ornaments up? You helped me with the hard part! Plus, you’re always breaking them.” She glanced to the mess of shattered glass on the floor. “Exhibit A.”

“Okay.” Fenton grinned, but it was obvious that he still wasn’t that comforted on the matter. M’ma gave him a gentle side hug.

“I’ll let you put the star up when you get back, okay?”

The younger duck looked to her and nodded, a little more relaxed by the sentiment. “Okay, M’ma.”

He ran outside to call the Gizmoduck suit and took off seconds after, desperately trying to make this mission as quick as he possibly could. Part of him began to wonder why there was suddenly so much crime days before Christmas. Maybe villains thought heroes were too busy to fight back? It certainly wasn’t far from false!

When he finally arrived at the bakery, Gizmoduck barged in to see the robber himself standing by the counter with a rather large Yule log cake in his hands. Shocked customers hid behind shelves, and the manager was hiding as far behind the counter as he possibly could. And Gizmoduck knew exactly who the criminal was by his long purple cape, even before he turned around to confirm his suspicions. 

“You!?”

Nik Nokturne smirked. “Ah! Look who it is! Hero guy! Come back to try to stop me?”

“Yes. That’s kind of my job.”

“Oh. True.” He shook his head. “Well, good luck getting this cake!” 

With that, the masked robber threw another smoke bomb and fled. Gizmoduck tried his best to pursue him, knocking down cakes and cupcakes and all sorts of baked goods absentmindedly as he desperately stayed on Nik Nokturne’s trail and tried to see through the purple smoke invading his eyesight. Finally, he caught sight of his cape and grabbed it, hearing a sharp yelp and something hit the floor as he pulled the other man backwards. Momentarily shocked by it, he let go and opened his eyes to find the smoke clearing and Nik Nokturne nowhere in sight, a smushed Yule log in his place. Gizmoduck picked it up and sighed sadly, half because of the dessert’s destruction and half because he knew he would have another run-in with this guy as soon as possible. 

_ At least I get to go home now _ , he thought to himself, wheeling around to put the discarded Yule log in the trash. However, as soon as he whipped around, he was met with the store manager. The small duck tapped his foot and glared at Gizmoduck, clearly angered. At first, the hero was confused, but then he took a look at his surroundings and noticed the remains of numerous baked goods coating the store’s surfaces. Before he could even speak, the manager thrust a broom in his hands, and Gizmoduck knew it would be a few hours more until he’d be allowed to go home after all.

\---

“And there! Right on top!” 

A smile spread across Fenton’s bill as he securely placed the golden star on top of the Christmas tree. Carefully stepping down from the stool, he walked over to where M’ma stood and took in the beauty of their latest completed project. He hugged his mother around the waist with his left hand, bringing her in closer as they took in the sight together.

“I swear, it looks prettier every year,” she commented. “You did such a good job, pollito!”

Fenton was about to speak but frowned. “Actually, I hardly helped. Remember? That was all you!”

“But that wasn’t your fault.” 

He could tell M’ma was trying her hardest not to appear frustrated with him for having to run off on hero duty every time they started a Christmas tradition, which was something he couldn’t really blame her for. Fenton was frustrated with himself. While they both knew it wasn’t his fault, the last-minute situations happening each night didn’t leave much time for the festivities they knew and loved. He hated leaving M’ma to do it all alone, but he didn’t really have a choice.

Luckily, things seemed different that night. It was past 7, and he hadn’t heard a single peep from his phone save for a festive cat meme Gyro sent him for a quick laugh. Now that they’d finally finished with the tree, it was time to start putting things underneath it for his family’s arrival tomorrow night. All the gifts had been purchased thankfully, but wrapping them proved to be a bit of a chore, especially since there were quite a few. After the two of them stared at the tree for about a minute, M’ma was already headed toward the wrapping paper. 

“So I take it you’re finally free tonight?” she asked over her shoulder as she opened the closet door.

“Hopefully. I haven’t gotten a call yet.”

“Good, good. You deserve a break.”

“Tell me about it.” He leaned against the couch, grumbling to himself. “I’ve got so much left to help you with!”

M’ma shook her head, trying to reach for the red and green paper on top of the closet’s highest shelf. “Fenton, you’ve gotta stop with all the overworking yourself.” She sighed. “Okay, contradictory to what I just said but, do you mind bringing the stool over here?”

Grabbing the object off the floor and placing it in front of the closet, Fenton continued, “But I’ve already missed out on so much! You decorated most of the house, most of the tree, and to make it all worse, we started weeks later than we normally do because of my job. I wish these things were easier to balance...”

M’ma laughed, handing one roll of wrapping paper to her son. “I hate to put it this way, but welcome to having a job.”

Fenton groaned. “It’s not even that! I love my job. I love being Gizmoduck. But I love other things too like Christmas and spending time with you!”

She shook her head and looked down to smile at him. “I know you do, Fenton. I’m not mad at all.”

“Really?”

“Of course not! If your phone went off right this second, you wouldn’t even hear a single word from me.” Fenton’s phone suddenly began to buzz on top of the coffee table, and M’ma nearly dropped the wrapping paper in alarm. “Are you kidding me!? Again?”

Feeling a pit form in his stomach, Fenton crossed his fingers for it to be a call from a friend or a wrong number or even another cat meme as he made his way over to the phone. Seeing the flashing red text felt like a slap to the face.

He sighed forlornly and turned around to face M’ma. “Robbery again. The flower shop this time.”

“Flowers?” She rolled her eyes. “Who’s stealing flowers the day before Christmas Eve!?”

“That...that stupid  _ guy _ !” Fenton seemed to explode with frustration, slamming his phone down and throwing his head back.

“Wait, it’s the same guy?” M’ma asked, seeming surprised.

“Yes! I mean, I don’t know about now, but I would bet my life on it! He’s been robbing small businesses day after day after day, and I don’t even know what his motive is. He isn’t even good at it!” He rolled his eyes. “Have you ever heard of Nik Nokturne?”

She screwed up her face in confusion. “No, I don’t think so. What’s he look like?”

“Tall, big black boots, wears mostly black, huge purple cape that covers his entire face?”

“Woof. Sounds like he came straight out of a 90’s cartoon.” She laughed for a moment before glancing back toward the huge pile of wrapping paper by the closet. “You’d better get going. I’ll start on the presents.”

“But will you have time to finish? Everyone’s coming tomorrow!”

“I had time before you were here, didn’t I?” M’ma gave him a sympathetic glance and ruffled his hair. “Go on, Gizmoduck. If you get him now, he won’t be back tomorrow. And I know if anyone can, it’s you.”

Fenton nodded, letting her words sink in before dashing out the door and summoning his hero armor. The flower shop was luckily a bit closer to his house than the magic shop and the bakery, for he was there in about a minute. Sure enough, as soon as he entered, Nik Nokturne ran right into him and dropped the bouquet of purple flowers he was holding onto the floor. Gizmoduck didn’t even have it in him to act amused at the other’s failure as he struggled to stand upright.

“You  _ again _ ?” he questioned, exasperated.

“Would it be anyone else?” Nik Nokturne chuckled, menacingly holding his cape up.

Gizmoduck stared at him, deadpan. “Why are you doing this? Can’t we just, oh I dunno, settle an agreement?”

The criminal scoffed. “No! None of that matters. The only thing that matters is that you will soon watch me make this bouquet of violets...disappear!”

Sighing, Gizmoduck reached down and picked the bouquet Nik Nokturne had been monologuing about off the ground. “You mean this one?”

When he realized his mistake, Gizmoduck could feel the color drain from his rival’s face even though it was covered. “Um…you haven’t seen the last of me! Again!” 

And with that, Nik Nokturne fled once more. Keeping what M’ma had said in mind, Gizmoduck chased after him as fast as he could, a hand outstretched until he almost had it at the back of his cloak. Then, a noise caught up off-guard, a loud sob that seemed rather close to him. Startled, the hero drew back and hardly noticed as Nik Nokturne got away. Trying to push his frustration back, Gizmoduck’s eyes fell upon a small, elderly lady who was slumped against the counter crying. 

“What seems to be the matter, ma’am?” he asked, reaching out a hand to comfort her.

“Oh,” the lady sighed, “it’s just...I have all these flowers to deliver before Christmas Eve, and I don’t know how I’m going to get it done!” She sniffled. “I gave my employees the week off because I know how important the holidays are to them, but I didn’t take into account how many deliveries I’d have to do myself. And now the robber’s gone and set me back!” 

As she erupted into tears again, Gizmoduck grit his teeth and made a mental apology to M’ma. “I suppose I could help you with a few of those deliveries,” he asked, handing her the bouquet Nik Nokturne had tried to steal.

Taking it in her hands, the old lady’s face lit up. “That would be wonderful! Oh, Gizmoduck, you really are the kindest hero in all of Duckburg!”

“Don’t even mention it. I definitely had absolutely nothing else to do, so it’s fine!” Gizmoduck could only hope he was a convincing liar as several bundles of poinsettas were thrust into his face.

\---

Eyes glued to his phone, Fenton sat on the couch rigidly as he watched the time tick away. He only had five minutes until his family would arrive. If he could make it until then, something told him it would all be okay. Sure, Nik Nokturne had promised to be back, but he could take day or two off! It was Christmas Eve! He had to be busy with something: presents, food, decorations, family, the possibilities were endless. Fenton had to have just this one night off, so he could have a nice lunch with his extended family and wake up the next day to participate in all the festivities he looked forward to every year. 

“Fenton, what are you doing?” M’ma called from the kitchen. “Help me set the table. They could arrive any time!”

He grit his teeth, wanting so desperately to help but knowing that the moment he let his guard down, the dreaded bright red text would flash across his phone screen like a death sentence. “In a moment, M’ma!”

Having a keen eye for what was up, she placed the remaining silverware down on their table and made her way to stand over he son. “You’re scared of getting called again, aren’t you?”

“What? No!” He tried his best at a lie, but of course, M’ma cocked her eyebrow to let Fenton know she saw right through it. “Okay, maybe just a little.”

Sighing, M’ma gave Fenton’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “You gotta stop worrying yourself to death over this guy.”

“I know I do, but it’s so hard not to!” He groaned. “Everyone’s going to be here in three minutes, and who knows when I’m going to get called to fight some nobody in a cape. I’m just scared I’m going to miss everything…”

“Fenton.” M’ma spoke a bit more sternly, desperate to get his attention. “We’re not going to leave you out of anything. We’ll wait for you if you get called!”

“But you shouldn’t have to!” he shot back. “Besides, you’re the only person in the family who knows I’m Gizmoduck.”

“I’ll say you had to mail a last-minute postcard.”

“For five hours? I don’t come back from these things until it’s almost midnight because I’m always caught by fans or reporters or a baker who wants me to clean his bakery or a flower shop owner who wants me to help with deliveries. And I can’t even catch the bad guy!” Fenton buried his face in his hands. 

His mother’s features softened. “I see what your problem is.”

He looked to her, confused. “You do?”

M’ma nodded. “You spend all your time trying to fix others’ Christmases that you’re not letting yourself celebrate your own. It’s okay to tell people you need a break.”

Fenton’s jaw dropped open in shock. “B-But I can’t do that! I’m Gizmoduck! It’s my job to help people.”

She sighed, ruffling his feathers again. “Oh, pollito. Too kind for your own good, as always.”

He opened his bill to argue more, but Fenton slowly began to realize while looking into his mother’s sincere stare that she had a point. Then, right when he knew what to say, a sudden buzzing from his phone took over his senses, and he gulped, looking at it in dread. Of course, those awful red letters were taunting him once more, and a minute before his family was supposed to arrive nonetheless! However, something about this time was different. He squinted, mentally reading the alert to himself and when he finished, almost fell over in shock.

“Someone’s broken into the Museum of Duckburg!?”

“Huh?” M’ma, just as concerned, took Fenton’s phone and read it over herself. “Oh, that’s a big one.”

Fenton snatched his phone back, getting to his feet. “That’s huge! Massive! Possibly the riskiest robbery you could pull off, especially if it’s the same guy!” He thought for a second. “Maybe it isn’t him?”

“It doesn’t matter! You’ve gotta get out of here if you don’t want the family knowing you’re Gizmoduck,” M’ma cut in, rushing Fenton out the door. “Call the suit in the backyard, okay?” She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “And remember what I told you.”

Sucking in a deep breath, Fenton nodded. “I will. I actually will.”

After a quick goodbye hug, the duck rushed into the backyard and activated the suit. He arrived at the museum as quickly as he could, noticing police cars already pulling onto the scene. Frowning, he made his presence known, trying to block out all the excess noise as he rushed into the building and tried to scope out the robber. Part of him was hopeful that it wasn’t Nik Nokturne this time, for he seemed to target smaller businesses and wasn’t even that good of a criminal, just sneaky when it came to escapes. That part of his was soon silenced when he entered the first room of the museum and found the same guy who had been harassing him with these robberies night after night, already feeling his blood boil at the sight of him.

“Of course it’s you,” he spoke, watching as Nik Nokturne was visibly startled by his voice. “Did you even realize you tripped the security system?”

“Um...I did, totally! I was expecting it. Yeah. It was all part of my plan! My greatest and most diabolical plan to steal, um…” His eyes scavenged the room until they fell on an encased gemstone, “the diamond of Duckburg!”

Gizmoduck’s face gently collided with his palm. “There’s no such thing as the diamond of Duckburg.”

“There’s not? I mean, of course there’s not!” He laughed nervously. “Slip of the tongue, happens to everyone! I’m here to steal uhhhhh, that famous painting of Scrooge McDuck!”

His eyes wandered to where Nik Nokturne was pointing. “That’s Cornelius Coot. Honestly, do you even know what you’re here to steal?”

Nik Nokturne blinked. “Whatever, doesn’t matter, bye!” 

Growling in frustration, Gizmoduck let his mother’s words motivate him as he chased after the robber as quickly as he could. “I’m not letting you get away this time!”

“Try and stop me!” Nik Nokturne snapped back, suddenly taking a turn and bursting through the nearest door. 

Gizmoduck followed him, soon to realize that it was a fire exit. His suit not the best equipped for handling stairs, he decided to take another route. Nik Nokturne emerged from the flight on top of the building at the same time as the ding of an elevator was heard, and the superhero emerged from the one settled on top of the museum. Finally, he had Nik Nokturne cornered with nowhere to go.

“Show’s over, Nik Nokturne,” he spoke, voice gravely with rage. 

The criminal was looking around, desperate for an escape. “N-No it’s not! I haven’t even used my ultra smoke bomb yet!”

Gizmoduck groaned, wondering how he could be serious. “You can’t jump off the roof! It’s a twelve-story building!”

“Yes I can! I can levitate, as you should know.” He huffed and crossed his arms.

“No you can’t,” Gizmoduck argued back.

“Yes I can.”

“No you can’t.”

“Yes I can.”

“Can’t!”

“Can!”

“Can’t!”

“Can!”

“Can’t- oh, this is just ridiculous!” Without saying another word, Gizmoduck activated his extending arm feature to grab Nik Nokturne by the cape. He kept as tight of a grip as he could on the criminal without harming him. “What is your problem?”

“I told you,” Nik Nokturne gasped, struggling, “I am the master of the dark ar-”  
“I’m being _serious_!” All the stress that had been boiling up inside of the man behind the armor suddenly came flowing out, and his voice was raised before he could stop it. Nik Nokturne’s face went blank. “Ever since a few days ago, you’ve been wasting my time by trying to commit crimes you don’t even know how to go through with and then running when it all blows up in your face! You have no idea how much time I’ve been sacrificing to clean up the damage you’ve caused. It’s Christmas Eve, and you’re trying to rob a museum! Who are you? What are your motives? Why are you doing this during the busiest time of the year for literally everyone else on the planet? I mean, don’t you have a _family_!?”

After his outburst, Gizmoduck noticed that Nik Nokturne was silent, and it wasn’t hard to tell that his words struck a chord with him. In fact, concern soon began to flood him as he realized just how quiet the other man had become. 

“I-I’m sorry. That might have been a little harsh of me. I-”

“Nah. It’s cool,” Nik Nokturne piped up, voice a lot steadier than usual. He wiggled an arm free from Gizmoduck’s grasp and slowly removed the hood from his head. 

Gizmoduck gasped as the criminal was unmasked, noticing that he was a grey dog with black hair a little above shoulder-length and a silver earring in one ear. His aura was suddenly a lot less threatening after discovering who he was behind the gloomy get-up. Also, he could finally tell just what expressions Nik Nokturne was flashing his way. Right now, his mouth was curved downward, and his eyes were overcast with something. Perhaps it was guilt.

“Probably should introduce myself now,” he laughed. “Now, this may come as a shock, but my name is not actually Nik Nokturne. It’s Black Arts.” He looked down. “Black Arts Beagle.”

The gears in Gizmoduck’s head were turning, until they finally came to a quick stop. “So you’re-”

“A Beagle Boy. Yep! You got me.” He crossed his arms. “Kind of an infamous family name, huh?”

Gizmoduck frowned. “Well, that explains the crimes, but...why have I not seen you around before?”

“Believe it or not, crime’s not really my thing. I wasn’t kidding about the whole ‘master of the dark arts’ thing, but if we’re telling the truth, I really aim to use magic for my own personal enjoyment.” He faked a grin.

“So you’re a performer?”

“Well, yes, for now, but I do plan to take my craft to the next level one day.” Black Arts rubbed the back of his neck. “Honestly, I was just robbing places to impress my ma. She always complains about how I’m a disgrace to the Beagle Boy name because I don’t have an interest in crime, so I thought maybe a nice Christmas present for her would be to make her proud for once. Buuuut I might not be the best at gifts either.”

“Oh…” Gizmoduck gulped, trying to swallow down all the conflicting feelings coursing through him. “I’m sorry.”

“Eh, don’t worry about all that. I’m used to it by now. She’ll have to bail me out of jail, so at least she’ll know I tried! Sure, she’ll probably grill me about how she always knew I was a failure and say she regrets even having me in the first place, but it’s the thought that counts.” He gave a good-natured shrug.

Despite his words sounding sarcastic, Gizmoduck could tell he was being wholeheartedly honest. Black Arts was convinced this was normal behavior, almost as if he deserved it. For a moment, everything that had been frustrating Gizmoduck and keeping him apart from his family seemed to make sense. 

Right as he was about to say something else, a voice from behind distracted him. “Good work, Gizmoduck! You caught him.”

“Ah!” The hero flipped around to see two officers bearing handcuffs who had likely followed the pair up here. He tried his best to act noble. “Yep! Here you go.”

Gizmoduck took one more look at Black Arts, defeat clear on his face as he was slowly handed toward the officers. He didn’t resist at all. Normally when he caught a villain, Gizmoduck felt bold and accomplished. He thought the same feeling would surge through him, possibly even something more intense since this guy had been giving him so many problems lately. But if anything, he felt dread, almost as if he was doing something wrong.

“You’ve done some nice work bringing this one in, Giz,” one of the officers complimented him. 

“Yeah!” the other followed up. “I don’t suppose you’d be up for dinner once we get this guy taken care of? It’s on us.”

Although he smiled politely, Gizmoduck shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ve actually got plans for the night.”

The two officers exchanged glances, then nodded in understanding. “That’s fine with us! Hope it goes well!”

“Thanks again, Gizmoduck!”

“No problem.” The hero watched as they carried Black Arts away, glad to have the rest of the night off but still feeling as if his job helping those in need wasn’t complete.

\---

“Are you sure about this, Gizmoduck? I know he’s been causing you an awful lot of trouble.”

“I’m sure.”

“But-”

“Trust me on this, officer. He really didn’t know what he was getting into. I’ll be sure to give him a stern talking-to.”

“Fine. I’ll take your word for it, but he’ll still have to complete a week’s worth of community service.”

Fenton had a nice Christmas Eve dinner with his family last night, filled with the joyous traditions he’d been missing out on. And now that it was Christmas day, he was ready to partake in even more. But before that could begin, there was something else that needed to be done.

He made sure to wake up before anyone else in his family did, even if it meant being up at ungodly hours of the night. Fenton had carefully pulled out the remaining wrapping paper, careful not to make a sound as he prepared a last minute gift. Then, he called the Gizmoduck armor and flew toward the police station, where he knew a certain master of the dark arts was being held.

Now posing as Gizmoduck, he followed the officer to the cell holding the person in question. Black Arts was sitting on the bench inside, looking rather pitiful and lonely there by himself. It tugged at the hero’s heartstrings, but hopefully, he would be able to help.

“You’re free to go, Beagle,” the officer said, opening the cell.

Black Arts perked up slightly, and Gizmoduck could tell he was expecting to see his mom. When his eyes finally settled on who had come to his rescue, the dog cocked his head to the side in confusion and reluctantly got up. He walked out a lot less confidently than he did during his attempted heists. Then, Black Arts approached Gizmoduck, looking him up and down.

“Whoa,  _ you _ bailed me out?”

“Look,” Gizmoduck spoke, putting a hand on his shoulder and walking him toward the building’s exit, “I know we’ve had our differences, and robbery, successful or not, is no joke. But by what you told me last night, I can tell you’ve got a lot of potential.”

Black Arts raised a brow. “As a criminal or a magician?”

“Ehhhhh, let’s just say as a person.” Standing by the door with Black Arts, Gizmoduck made eye contact with him. “I know you just want to make your family proud, but at the end of the day, what really matters is what makes  _ you _ proud and what you’re good at. And I know for a fact that is not committing robberies.”

A smile almost crept onto Black Arts’ face, but it soon fell. “Thanks for the pep talk, big guy, but I just don’t know where to start. Ma won’t pay for my magic lessons, and I’m not the best at teaching myself, as you’ve probably figured out already.”

Gizmoduck grinned and revealed a neatly wrapped gift box from behind his back. “Here. Take this.”

Black Arts stared at it in astonishment. “A present? For me?” He frowned. “This isn’t gonna blow up in my face or anything, right?”

“Nope. That package is one-hundred percent bomb-free!”

“Sweet!” The eager dog tore into the wrapping paper, soon revealing a book. He read the title out loud. “Mastering the Dark Arts for Dummies!? But that’s-”

“The book from Presto’s? I know.” Gizmoduck chuckled. “He gave it to me as a thank you present for helping him stop his store from being robbed, but I don’t exactly have a need for it. I’m not much for magic myself, but luckily, I knew just the person to give it to.”

“Awesome! Who?”

Gizmoduck paused. “...It’s you. I made that clear, right?”

“You did now! Oh man, thank you sooooo much, Gizmoduck!” Black Arts very suddenly wrapped his arms around the hero, pulling him into a tight hug. Although a bit shocked by the action, Gizmoduck tried his best to return it until the dog pulled back, wiping a tear from his eye. “I’m gonna cast so many spells with this baby.”

Seeing the other so happy warmed Gizmoduck’s heart more than he ever thought it would. “I’ve gotta go now, but I wish you the best of luck in your future magical endeavours. Stay out of trouble, Black Arts!”

“Will do!” 

With one last nod and good-natured smile, Black Arts waved goodbye to Gizmoduck as he flew off into the sky, and for the first time that month, Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera felt his heart swell, finally feeling that his job protecting Duckburg throughout the holidays was complete. And he couldn’t be even more excited to spend what he had left of it with his family, content that he’d made Christmas wonderful again by realizing who needed his help the most.


End file.
